hi everyone! I’m a newbie on here. I’m a 25 year old female, recently diagnosed with PCOS and weighing in at just over 22 stone. I already have 1 little girl, and I struggle with daily tasks and general aches & pains...at my age that is so wrong!
I finally got the kick up the backside to do something about it after a rather blunt telling off from my doctor!
How did you all find starting c25k? I’m starting tomorrow!
Best of luck! Just keep posting on here and everyone will help you through. My advice would be to slow down and slow down again, especially as the runs get longer. Set your 3 run days each week and stick with them. There will be times when the gremlins try and talk you out of going, but never, ever, let them win 💪🏽
Hi, I'm a newbie on here too, this reply is the first time I've posted anything! I'm 41, about 2-3 stone overweight and have been for several years. I haven't run since school and have just made half hearted attempts at swimming on and off over the years, which I enjoy but have struggled to motivate myself to keep it up.I've never enjoyed running much but decided to give this a go because unlike swimming it's something I can do even in lockdown. I'm now on week 5 and not only managing it but really starting to enjoy it and itching to get going again on my rest days!
As Tasha99 says, I've found the key is to keep it slow so you don't end up giving up because you've pushed yourself too hard. I've repeated a couple of weeks before moving on to the next one when it's felt too daunting, because I would rather take a bit longer to reach the end of the programme and still keep exercising regularly than step it up before I'm ready and risk going back to being a couch potato!
The very, very best of luck to you for tomorrow and beyond, follow the programme consistently and at your own pace, and you'll be a different person in no time! 😊
Hi! I’m glad you’re enjoying doing it. A few years back I used to go to the gym, loved going on the treadmill but I just stopped going. I’ve gained a lot of weight since then due to having a baby so definitely expecting it to be more of a struggle! Can’t wait to see the end results, hoping to adapt a healthier lifestyle and go for regular runs afterwards! 🙂
Welcome to the forum and well done on your progress.
This guide to the plan is essential reading healthunlocked.com/couchto5...
and includes advice on minimising impact, stretching after every run, hydration and strengthening exercises, all of which will help.
Enjoy your journey.
Thank you 😊
Slow and steady is the mantra slogan here on C25K, welcome to the forum, I wish you Mef95 all the very best for your running journey with C25K, take all the runs slowly, you can repeat any runs or week's if you wish to, drink plenty of water the day before you run and some before you run to keep hydrated, no running on consecutive days, try and keep to the same 3 days a week if possible, keep us informed here on how you are progressing as we will support you on your running, onwards and upwards 🏃🏾 👍
Thanks for the response and thanks for the tips! My runs will have to be different days per 2 weeks as I work on a 2 week rota so on some occasions may have to do consecutive days
No, the reason for new runners not to run on consecutive days is that by doing runs on 2 days in a row could cause a injury, see if you can fit your running between work shifts.
Week 1 I work Monday Tuesday Saturday Sunday. Week 2 I work Wednesday Thursday Friday. What schedule do you think would work best? Bare in mind I work 12 hour shifts and have a little one so evening time running I can’t do. Thank you
You do lead a busy life Mef95, if you can get someone to look after your little one then try running at whatever time you can.
I do! I’m a mental health support worker so they’re long hours. It looks like it’ll have to be an early morning session before I get ready for work then! Thanks for your advice ☺️
Hi Mef95 , just to add to what AlMorr said - while you really shouldn't run on consecutive days, it won't do any harm if you leave an extra day between run days. Better that, in fact, than running too much and getting injured.
Although many people do find it helpful to have designated run days, I never have, because that just doesn't fit in with my working life or personality. The most important thing is to get out there - happy running!
Welcome! My advice is everything that has been said above- keep slow its not a race!
There is never a bad run- as even if you didn’t do as well as planned you still went out and did it!
Choose your running days abs stick to them- otherwise it’s easy to never get round to it!
Post here- the highs and lows and read other peoples posts.
Massive good luck!!
Thank you! I’m excited to get started! Feeing motivated from everyone’s comments 🤗
It is such a lovely forum full of lovely 😊 people! There is no competition or negativity.
I didn’t expect to get so many responses tbh. It’s nice knowing people have been/ are going through the same!
Hi I too am larger and I successfully completed. Just take your time and repeat runs and sessions as you need to. Also be kind to yourself and I still cannot do 5k in 30 minutes but can run for 30 minutes and more. One of the best decisions i made was to do couch to 5k. Good luck
Thank you! Yeah I think my overall goal isn’t to run the 5k in 30 minutes....just to be able to run for 30 minutes will Be a huge achievement for me! If you don’t mind me asking, did you lose much weight whilst following c25k?
Hi. Not much weight loss at all but have toned up. My aim was to get moving and the weight loss will be gradual. Just enjoying moving and to be honest cutting myself some slack until after the new year.
That’s good. I’m hoping for weight loss but definitely looking forward to just being more active in general
Hi Also that first session when you have to go and run the minutes seemed like hours and I personally thought I would never progress but I graduated and the program works . Be prepared for good and bad runs too and a bad run isn’t the end it’s just a bad run. Good luck tomorrow 🤗
Welcome to the forum and well done on your decision.
This guide to the plan is essential reading healthunlocked.com/couchto5...
and includes advice on minimising impact, stretching after every run, hydration and strengthening exercises, all of which will help.
Enjoy your journey.
Come on lady you can do this! 👍👍👍👍Take all the advice given by these great people in this forum. They will be here to support you through and take it from another overweight NHS worker and mother of 1, if you stick with it in a few months time you will find yourself frolicking and chasing your little girl around the park without giving it any thought and that is a great incentive right there. 😀😀😀😀
Be my friend, be my friend!!! I so needed this motivational talk! Chasing after her kills me, she’s so energetic and I am not! 😂 I can’t wait for the day I can play with her and not get out of breath!
Well here is the opportunity. On Saturday I took my 7 year old out and we did a 20min walk/run (which we both really enjoyed) and then I did my usual run later that day. This was so satisfying as I hope it may instill in her the enjoyment of running and also realising that I actually had the energy for both. When is the first run planned or are you keeping it a secret?
That’s great! My little one is only 19 months so won’t have her running with me just yet. First run is tomorrow, slightly nervous but excited to get the ball rolling. It’s only up from here!
I’m about 6 stone overweight and was very unfit. I’m now on week 7 of the programme and am running for 25 mins now. I never ever thought that would be possible!
I’ve had bad days where I’ve not been able to keep to it but I’ve taken an extra day or 2 to rest up and then I’ve gone back to it more motivated and energised.
Expect to feel general aches and pains a couple of weeks in, especially in your legs. I struggled with shin splints in week 2 and had to rest for a week. I bought some calf compression sleeves and wouldn’t run without them now. Make sure you stretch properly before and after each run.
Keep reading the comments and posts as they’re so motivating and you realise you’re not doing it alone.
Best wishes to you.
Thanks! Wow that’s great, I can’t wait to be able to run freely! Yeah I have general aches and pains anyway mainly due to my weight so expecting them anyway. Thank you!
Good luck and welcome!
I have lost a great deal of weight from running. Not so much from the exercise burning calories at first, but from thinking, "Do I want to be carrying this with me on the next run?" at what would have been snack time. Once I'd been running a few months I went on longer runs and that helped me lose weight even more.
C25k is manageable in different ways for different people. It does get hard sometimes, most people find sooner or later a run goes badly or a week starts off well and then unaccountably turns sour. If you find that's happening or if you're getting despondent, come by and let us know, we want you to be happy and succeed and lots of people here are good at practical advice.
If your work schedule makes it hard to run, the C25k programme still works if you do two runs a week, and take nine days or ten to get a 'week' done. Better to leave an extra day between runs than run on consecutive days.
See you around.
😀
Good luck with your first run tomorrow, you'll be sick of hearing it, but keep it slow, the first few runs will probably be quite hard, most people on here, will agree, but your not alone, keep posting, you'll get loads of possitive help and advise!!! 😀
Please let us know how you get on, and seriously, don't feel embarrassed. You have chosen to do something good and healthy, best of luck for tomorrow and the rest of the program 😊
Newbie here!
Newbie here
Hi - newbie here please be kind :-) 
Newbie here ✋🏼
Newbie here...
